Another Great Moving Picture!

THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS-1920-This silent film is a little masterpiece of it's kind and holds up very well for being made nearly 100 years ago! It's also fairly faithful to Jame Fenimore Cooper's novel (part of a trilogy) but the character of Hawkeye (Harry Lorraine), usually the main emphasis in later versions takes a back seat to Uncas (Alan Roscoe), the title Mohican and his relationship with Cora (Barbara Bedford), the white English woman who's father is a Colonel leading an army against the French and their "bad Indian" companions. Wallace Beery is top billed as the evil Magua who wants Cora (or her sister) all to himself.

The violent and graphic (for the day) Indian massacre scene still packs a wallop and Boris Karloff is seen briefly as a brave who kills baby! It all ends tragically of course.

 

It had two directors: Clarence Brown and Maurice (father of Jacques  Tourneur). Co-stars Roscoe and Bedford were married at the time and were big stars in the Silent Era. Unfortunately both their careers went into decline on the advent of sound. Beery became a big star in the Sound Era winning a 1931 best actor Oscar for THE CHAMP. He actually "tied" with Fredric March who also won for DR. JEYKLL AND MR HYDE.

Weirdly, a German version was made the same year that featured Bela Lugosi!

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Who Could Forget?

BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES-2011-I'm sure everyone remembers learning in school about the time in 1942 when the US Air Force engaged in a fight with UFOs over L.A.? 

No? Well according to this crappy Asylum production, it did happen and 70 years later the merciless aliens have returned. A pilot (Dylan Vox) who took off on the original mission shows up after being held captive for many years. A small group of soldiers must bring him safely to a certain sector. After their commander is killed a young lieutenant (Kel Martin) takes over and besides protecting the pilot must battle the metal aliens who can turn their enemy's attack back on them. He also takes time to argue a lot with his second in command (Gerald Webb). Theresa June Tao (who's terrible) is a modern-day pilot and Nia Peeples is a captain who uses a sword to kill the aliens even though machine guns and missiles can't dent them. After it's revealed the pilot is an alien too it becomes a mash up of ALIEN, BATTLE LOS ANGELES, INDEPENDENCE DAY and a hundred other video only Sci-Fi themed time wasters. This ridiculous nonsense also features horrible CGI SFX. 

Writer/director Mark Adkins made lots of junk like this. Much of it appearing on the SyFy channel (as BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES did). 

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Der Golem!

THE GOLEM-1920-This famous German film, based on a legend is very dark and very fascinating. When the stars foretell an astrologer Rabbi Loew that there is danger in store for the Jews of Prague (as it turns out the King wants to expel them) he creates The Golem (director George Wegener), a clay statue brought to life by an ancient spell. It's power lies in the Star of David (with a name on it) attached to it's chest. He's very strong and sometimes child-like but mostly he seems bored. He's first used mainly as a servant chopping wood, carrying water and even going to market with a basket!

At The Rose Festival The Golem saves the king's life (who then rescinds his decree) while the Rabbi's daughter Miriam and the knight Florian have an affair. With the danger passed Loew decides The Golem isn't needed anymore (the clay fella seems to be getting a little to independent anyway) and plans to destroy him but a celebration delays the destruction. The Rabbi's assistant (who is sweet on Miriam) revives the creature to get jealous revenge on her secret lover. Things get out of control: Florian is thrown to his death, the astrologer's house burns down and Herr Golem hits the streets while dragging Miriam by her hair!). Some little children spell his doom at the end.

This was the third time actor/director Paul Wegener made a film based on the Golem legend but unfortunately the first two films are lost. This version was photographed by the great Karl Freund who later shot METROPOLIS. He later brought his talents to America (and directed THE MUMMY with Karloff and MAD LOVE with Peter Lorre). It must have had an impact on James Whale as there are many FRANKENSTEIN parallels.

Strangely, despite their involvement with mysticism the Jews of Prague themselves and their devotion to God are shown sympathetically yet Wegener stayed in Germany after the rise of Hitler and made propaganda films for the Nazis! He died in 1948.

This film by the way is in the public domain. Thanks again to Tony for getting me this!

For another review of Wegener:http://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2011/03/silent-magic.html

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Actually There's No Party..

THE WILD PARTY-1956-Anthony Quinn stars in this grim melodrama the same year he played Quasimodo in the French production of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. Here he plays Ton Kuphen, a loony ex-football player-loser reduced to petty crime. His pals include fruity con-man Gage (Jay Robinson), broke jazz pianist Kicks (Nehemiah Persoff who narrates) and Honey (Kathryn Grant), Tom's spacey semi-innocent girlfriend. They terrorize a society couple, a Navy lieutenant (Arthur Franz) and his rich fiancee (Carol Ohmart, later Vincent Price's wife on HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL)) who Kuphen becomes obsessed with. The four "beats" talk annoying jive in this lurid and racy (I guess for the time) drama with a disappointing finale. Paul Stewart and Barbara Nichols appear in one scene together and Nestor Paiva has a small role.

The jazz score is by Buddy Bregman and Barney Kessell. Maynard Ferguson and Bud Shank appear in an un-credited on-screen band. Director Harry Horner had made RED PLANET MARS and BEWARE, MY LOVELY and was also production designer on many films.

Like, thanks for reading, cat!    

Cold War 50's

SHACK OUT ON 101-1955-A greasy spoon on the California coast is the setting for this cold war film noir drama and it's cast of characters: short tempered owner George (Keenan Wynn), sexy waitress Kotty (top billed Terry Moore from MIGHTY JOE YOUNG), sleazy cook Slob (Lee Marvin, who was in BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK the same year) and Sam (Frank Lovejoy from HOUSE OF WAX), a professor at the nuclear facility who's also Kotty boyfriend (talk about an odd couple!). Also featured is Whit Bissell as George's friend Eddie who has a fear of blood.

Between the characters talking about their problems and feelings some espionage goes on as Slob is passing micro film from the professor's facility (with the help of delivery man Len Lesser) to unknown agents. One night Kotty hears Sam and Slob talking and realizes her stuffed shirt of a lover is part of a spy ring. Frank DeKova shows up in one scene as a crooked professor who gets killed. Some comic scenes involving Wynn using barbells and scuba equipment are thrown in as well.

It's an ok low budget thriller with Marvin kind of stealing the show especially when he turns violent in the finale. Donald Murphy who later played the mad doctor in FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER has a small role as a federal agent posing as a truck driver.

Director Edward Dein went on to make the vampire western CURSE OF THE UNDEAD. Earlier he made SOUL OF A MONSTER.
http://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2010/03/not-that-much-soul.html

I could write another whole entry on co-star Frank Lovejoy, who as I have mentioned before seems to have none of his last name in any of his acting. His love scenes with Terry Moore are awkward at best!

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Calling Prof. Quatermass!

QUATERMASS AND THE PIT-1958-This is the third Professor Quatermass serial produced by the BBC. Despite a lot of talk and non-action it's very well done. In a London district, an archeological dig led by Prof. Roney (Cec Linder; Felix Leiter in GOLDFINGER) find evidence of a new hominid and later discover a huge metallic object. 

Roney brings in his friend Prof. Quatermass (Andre Morell) to investigate. Quatermass' war department nemesis the pompous Colonel Breen (Joseph Bushell who later directed TERROR OF THE TONGS for Hammer) gets involved as well. 

When an air tight compartment in the object is finally opened a bunch of dead insect like creatures are found. This leads Quatermass to the theory that the creatures are from Mars and 5 million year ago they came to Earth and experimented on early man! Of course the government will have none of it. A haunted house, telekinesis, ancient myths and a weird machine that can record “visual impressions inside the brain” all figure into this ambitious ahead of it's time story which if it sounds familiar was later re-made by Hammer as the full length film 20 MILLION YEARS TO EARTH. The final speech by Quatermass really rings true!

Also with Christine Finn (the voice of “Tin-Tin” on THE THUNDERBIRDS) & John Stratton. Michael Ripper portrays a army sergeant in the first five segments. Morrell was in THE GIANT BEHEMOTH around this time and played Dr. Watson to Peter Cushing's Sherlock Holmes in Hammer's THE HOUND OF THE BASERVILLES in 1959. 

 

Screenwriter Nigel Kneale had written the feature length film ENEMY FROM SPACE (where American actor Brian Donlevy was the professor) in 1957 and later did screenplays for movies like LOOK BACK IN ANGER, THE ENTERTAINER and FIRST MEN IN THE MOON. Director Rudolph Cartier had a long career in BBC TV.

 

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No Act

ACT OF VALOR-2012-The draw of this standard action film is that the stars are

active Navy SEALS. They fight terrorists and try to stop a worldwide plot against the USA. It is an unusual combo. 

It's not a reality show or a documentary, it's something new. But that doesn't make it good. I kept waiting for Steven Seagal or some other washed phony macho man to show up since in either case the results would have been the same. 

It was written by Kurt Johnstad who had penned the mostly ridiculous and overrated 300. The directors are Matt McCoy and Scott Waugh. The version I saw had Chinese sub-titles. 

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Jersey Sharks

JERSEY SHORE SHARK ATTACK-2012-I think this stupid killer shark movie is suppose to feature characters based on the idiotic reality show JERSEY SHORE. (and JAWS of course). I don’t know much about the show but it can't be any worse than this brain dead nonsense. 

Three imbeciles try to warn the residents that albino sharks are on the prowl and want the beach closed down but no one believes them until former NYSYNC member Joey Fatone playing a pompous has-been singer, I mean playing himself, gets killed! Jack Scalia is the sheriff. Later a bartender (Tony Sirico from THE SOPRANOS) relates the (real life) story of the 1916 Jersey Shore shark attacks. Paul Sorvino (looking like an evil Oliver Hardy) has a small role as the mayor and William Altherton is a Donald Trump like builder who's construction site vibrations are attracting the sharks. 

There's some phony gore and bad CGI and some parts are funny but most of it is just annoying dumbness. It takes place in Seaside Heights (I often went there with my friends in the late '70's!) but I don't think it was filmed on location. The director John Shepphird also made TEENAGE BONNIE AND KLEPTO CLYDE. 

Some people think this will achieve cult status but it will be quickly forgotten after the show it parodies burns itself out. Fred Olen Ray was a producer.

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